Chirag Gupta
Patna: Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister and Road Construction Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha addressed recent allegations by Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav regarding the collapse of a girder on the Bakhtiyarpur- Tajpur railway overbridge. Sinha clarified that the incident involved the overturning of a girder during the bearing replacement process and was not due to any technical fault or the collapse of the bridge itself.
Sinha explained that the construction of the bridge began in 2011, but due to the slow pace of work by the contractor, the agreement was cancelled in 2020. In 2023, a supplementary agreement was executed, and the project was resumed. The girders in question were cast before the original agreement was cancelled, and a condition survey revealed rusting of the bearings, prompting their replacement. It was during this process that one of the girders overturned, but there was no damage to life or property.
He emphasized that the contractor is bearing the costs of the replacement, so there will be no additional financial burden on the government. Top officials of the Bihar State Road Development Corporation (BSRDC) have already inspected the site, underscoring the government’s commitment to ensuring timely, quality construction of roads and bridges.
Sinha criticized Tejashwi Yadav for making baseless allegations without understanding the facts, accusing him of spreading false information through “Twitter activism.” He pointed out that Yadav should have checked the facts before commenting, as the agreement in question was cancelled in 2020 and reinstated in 2023, questioning why Yadav never raised these concerns when he was in power.
